Whose Baby?
by annebd
Summary: Harm and Mac discover something that connects their past, present, and future. Chapter nine and the epilogue are up.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own JAG, I don't own CBS and I don't own a little blue VW bug. Hmmmph! My parents don't love me, they won't buy me anything I want for Christmas!  
  
I would include a warning for spoilers, but I don't know what spoilers are, so if someone would like to inform me, I'd be glad to include them.  
  
And with that, on with the show!  
  
Mac sat on the couch flipping randomly through channels. It was a Saturday night, and she was home alone. Again. After that mess with Brumby and the pathetic excuse for a relationship she had with Harm, Mac was basically back to being a nun.  
  
She had just stumbled upon something interesting to watch, a Poirot murder mystery, when the doorbell rang. Jingo barked with irritation at whoever dared to awaken him from his slumber. Mac patted his head as she passed him and went to the door.   
  
Standing in Mac's doorway was a teenage girl. She had reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. She looked about 5'7", but with the pair of stiletto boots the girl was wearing, Mac couldn't be quite sure. Overall, she was a gorgeous girl. She reminded Mac of a younger version of herself in some ways.  
  
"I'm sorry to bother you," the girl said, "but are you Sarah MacKenzie?"  
  
"Yes," Mac replied.  
  
"Good. I'm Taylor Jacobs," the girl responded. "This is gonna sound entirely weird and intrusive, but in 1986 did you participate in a fertility study at the Rosemont Research Clinic, to which you donated some of your eggs?"  
  
"Ye-es," Mac replied slowly. She had almost completely forgotten about that. She had needed money, and the clinic was offering two thousand dollars for participants in the study. But how did this girl know about it? "Exactly what is this in regard to?"  
  
"Well, um..." Taylor began. "Can I come in?"  
  
"Yes, of course," Mac said. She led Taylor inside and past Jengo, whose head the teen also stopped to pat. They sat down on the couch. "So you were saying?"  
  
Taylor took a deep breath and began her story. "Well, my mother participated in the same fertility study you did. She had some of her eggs frozen just in case...Well, anyway, in early '87 she decided she wanted to have a baby, so she went out and searched for a sperm donor. She went to some clinic in California and found the "perfect man." At least, that's what she concluded from the mini biography that accompanied the sperm. After that, she had the eggs fertilized through in-vitro, and nine months later, out I popped."  
  
Mac marveled at the frankness with which the teen recounted the story. "That's interesting, but I don't see where I'm involved."  
  
"Well, when the doctor's performed the procedure, they weren't too careful about it, because instead of using my mother's eggs, they used yours. So, Kelly Jacobs isn't my mother. You are."  
  
Mac stared at her, completely perplexed. There had to be some mistake.  
  
"Excuse me?" she finally managed to spit out.  
  
"You're my mother," Taylor replied. "And, believe it or not, I'm your daughter."  
  
"That's not possible. I mean, it's just not. I can't have a daughter. Did they do a DNA test or something?" Mac was trying to rationalize, but it wasn't working.  
  
"Yeah, they did. And it matched," Taylor said. "I know this must be hard for you. It was hard for me, too, finding out that my mother wasn't my mother. And then when she died..."  
  
"Your mom died?" Mac asked, suddenly feeling a connection to the girl.  
  
"Yeah, about three months ago. I've been living with my aunt, but I needed to come out here and find you. You know, get to know you and stuff." Her voice began to waiver as thoughts of her mother crossed her mind.  
  
"I'm really sorry about your mom," Mac said. "By the way, I'm Mac."  
  
"Mac?" Taylor asked.  
  
"Yeah. It's short for MacKenzie." Mac explained.  
  
"Um, Mac, I was wondering if you could help me with something else."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Finding my father. He lives around this area, so I thought I could try to find him, too."  
  
"Do you know his name?" Mac asked.  
  
"Yeah," Taylor replied. "It's Harmon Rabb, Jr." 


	2. Chapter Two

"Mac? Are you okay? Mac?!" Taylor stared at the Marine with concern.  
  
Mac stared back at Taylor. She must have been hearing things. It was completely impossible that Taylor had said Harmon Rabb, Jr. It must have been something else, and Mac simply hadn't heard correctly. There was just no possible way that she and Harm had a child together. Of course, ten minutes earlier, there was no possible way that Mac had a daughter, with Harm or otherwise.  
  
"I'm sorry, Taylor, I think I misheard you. What did you say your father's name was?"  
  
"Harmon Rabb, Jr.," Taylor replied. "Um, are you okay? I mean, not to be cliché, but you look like you saw a ghost or something."  
  
"No. No ghost. It's just that..." Mac didn't know how to explain her eight-year relationship with Harm. It was too complicated. "Well, Harm and I are...partners. That's probably the best word to describe it. Partners and best friends, I guess."  
  
"Wait. Harm? As in, short for Harmon? You and my father are best friends? That's incredible!" Taylor's expression mirrored what Mac felt: shock, excitement, and fear all rolled into one. "I can't believe it! I found my mother and my father in one day. Well, I guess I haven't really found him yet, but you know, since you're best friends with him, obviously you'll take me to meet him. And then the three of us will be together and like a family, sort of except not really because we're..." Taylor noticed Mac's expression changing and realized that she'd been babbling. "I'm sorry. I was babbling. I don't know what made me say that. Of course we won't be a family. We barely know each other, and I haven't met my father yet. I don't know what I was thinking."  
  
"No, it's okay. You're just excited. I can't blame you for that, I mean after never knowing your father and losing your mother, it must be an emotional roller coaster finding out that you have another set of parents out in the world," Mac tried to comfort Taylor. "I'll take you to meet Harm tomorrow morning. We work together at JAG, so you can go with me tomorrow."  
  
Taylor smiled. "Thanks. I'd appreciate that."  
  
"As for right now, though, where are you staying? You can spend the night here if you want. I've got a spare bedroom that's all set up for a teenager. My little sister, Chloe, uses it when she visits me. She's a little younger than you are, but..." Mac stopped. "And now I'm the one that's babbling. So, what do you say?"  
  
"I'd love to spend the night here. We can talk. Find out more about each other," Taylor replied. "So you have a teenage sister?"  
  
"Well, she's not actually my sister, she's really..." Mac and Taylor spent the rest of the night talking. She told Taylor about Chloe and JAG and her childhood. Upon Taylor's insistence, she even threw in a few stories about Harm. Mac didn't want to tell her too much. She wanted Taylor to get to know Harm on her own.   
  
In turn, Taylor told Mac about her life. Her mother, her stepfather, and her aunt came up quite often, as well as other relatives and friends.  
  
The next morning, Mac awakened Taylor early. They got ready to leave and were soon heading to JAG in Mac's corvette. Once they arrived at the JAG headquarters, Mac turned to Taylor.   
  
"Listen," she began. "I've been thinking. Maybe I should explain the situation to Harm before you meet him. He might not take the news too well, and I wouldn't want him having a nervous breakdown in the middle of JAG. You can wait in my office, and once I've told him, I'll bring him to meet you"  
  
"I understand. We wouldn't want a repeat of your performance last night." Taylor joked.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mac asked with a look of mock-disapproval.  
  
"It's just that the expression on your face last night was priceless. In retrospect, you really did look like you'd seen a ghost. It was sorta like this," Taylor put on an expression that had Mac cracking up.  
  
"I did not look like that," she said between laughs. "But, you're right. We wouldn't want Harm looking like that. The Admiral might think he'd gone crazy."  
  
When Mac mentioned the Admiral, she momentarily let Harm's reaction slip from her mind. What would everyone think when she and Harm announced that they had a fifteen-year-old daughter? She sighed inaudibly, and she and Taylor walked into the building.  
  
"So, you wait here until I tell Harm, okay?" Mac said to Taylor as she took over her cover and placed it on the coat rack.  
  
"Um, sure," Taylor replied. "Actually, wait."  
  
"Wait for what?" Mac asked.  
  
"Well... I'm not sure about this."  
  
"Not sure about what, Taylor? This is what you want isn't it?" Mac asked as she saw apprehension and fear flash in the girl's eyes.  
  
"Yes, of course it is, but this is a big step, you know," Taylor replied.  
  
"If you had enough courage to find me, Harm'll be a piece of cake, believe me," Mac answered, placing a reassuring hand on Taylor's shoulder.  
  
"I guess so," Taylor replied. "I'm just kinda nervous."  
  
"As well you should be. This is a big step," Mac said.  
  
"Thanks, Mac," Taylor said, pulling Mac into a hug. Mac was a little taken aback, but she quickly reciprocated.  
  
"It'll be fine," she reassured as she stepped out of the office. Mac began the familiar stroll to Harm's office. Although, this time it wasn't quite for the same familiar reason.   
  
When she arrived at his office, Mac noticed that he had left his door open. She knocked softly on the frame. Harm looked up from his mound of paperwork.  
  
"Hey, Mac," he said with a smile. "What's up?"  
  
"Morning, Harm," Mac replied. "Listen, we need to talk." She stepped into the office and closed the door behind her, before sitting down opposite Harm.  
  
"Uh-oh," Harm said. "That doesn't sound good. What did I do now?"  
  
"Actually, it's not what you did know. It's what you did about sixteen years ago."  
  
Harm stared at Mac blankly. "I'm confused," he said.  
  
Mac chuckled. "Yeah, what's new?" she joked.  
  
"So, what's going on?"  
  
At this point, Harm had stood up and was standing beside his desk.   
  
"You might wanna sit down for this one," Mac said, waiting for him to sit on the edge of the desk before she continued. "About sixteen years ago, you donated your sperm to a clinic in California, correct?"  
  
Harm stared at Mac again with the same blank look. "Uh-huh," was all he could manage.  
  
"Well, around the same time, I donated some eggs to this research clinic. They were doing a fertility study, and they were paying two thousand dollars to willing participants. Anyway, a few months later, a woman named Kelly Jacobs, who had also donated her eggs, decided to have a baby by herself. So she went in search of the 'perfect' sperm donor, and when she found him, became pregnant through in-vitro."  
  
"And that means what to us, exactly?" Harm asked.  
  
Mac sighed. "Well, it means that you were that perfect sperm donor. It also means that the doctors made a slight error when doing the in-vitro. Instead of using Ms. Jacobs' eggs, they used mine. And all of that boils down to the fact that you and I now have a fifteen-year-old biological daughter, who, apparently, has my looks and your brains."   
  
Harm slid off the desk and landed with a thud on his bottom on the floor. 


	3. Chapter Three

"Ow! My butt!" Harm exclaimed, after slipping off the desk.  
  
"Are you okay?" Mac said through fits of laughter.  
  
"Yeah, I think so," Harm said, standing off and rubbing his butt. "I think I heard you wrong. We have a what together?"  
  
"A daughter. Her name is Taylor Jacobs, she's fifteen and she's gorgeous."  
  
"A daughter? Like a kid? Like a kid that's half you and half me?" Harm said.  
  
"I suppose you could look at it that way," Mac said.  
  
"Wait, why are you so calm about this? Have you known about this? You've been keeping this from me, haven't you? You just didn't want me to know so that one day you could walk into my office and say, 'Hey Harm, guess what! We have a kid.' And then I'd freak out and have a heart attack and-" Harm gasped for air. He had forgotten to breathe during his ranting and raving.  
  
"No, I did not know about this, and I certainly wasn't trying to give you a heart attack," Mac said as she stood up and walked around the desk to sit in Harm's chair. "I've just had more time to adjust than you have. Taylor found me last night, and she spent the night at my place, so we got a chance to get to know each other a little better."  
  
Harm sat back down on his desk, this time facing Mac, who was still sitting in his chair. "So, Taylor, huh? Interesting name for a girl. I like it. Can I meet her sometime?" Harm asked.  
  
"How about right now?" Mac asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Harm responded.  
  
"She's waiting in my office right now," Mac said.  
  
Harm began to look flustered again. "You mean she's been here this whole time?"  
  
"Yeah. You wait here, and I'll go get her," Mac said. She stood up from the chair and walked over to the door. "Now, don't go falling off your desk again."  
  
Harm gave her a pretend dirty look as Mac walked out the door. Harm sighed. This was going to be interesting.  
  
Mac began walking back to her office. As she neared the room, she noticed Lieutenant Singer standing in the doorway, yelling. She quickened her pace and quickly arrived at her office.  
  
"Shouldn't you be in school or something?" Singer said spitefully.  
  
"I've already graduated from high school. From your "oh so extensive" vocabulary, I would assume you've done the same," Taylor retorted quite calmly.  
  
"Right. You've already graduated from high school. You're barely twelve. And are you saying that I'm not intelligent? I'll have you know I-" Singer fumed. She was quickly interrupted by Taylor.  
  
"I'm saying, Lieutenant, that in the past few minutes, you've proved to have the maturity of a six year old, and I'd rather not continue with this conversation," Taylor ended the conversation as Mac entered the room. Singer snapped to attention.  
  
"As you were," Mac said. "What's going on here, Singer?"  
  
"Well, ma'am, the young lady and I were just having a conversation."  
  
"Really? Because it sounded to me like you were having a screaming match," Mac said, staring hard at the junior officer.  
  
Singer glared back at Mac. "No, ma'am. I was just trying to find out who this child is."  
  
"That's none of your business, Singer," Mac said calmly. "Dismissed."  
  
"Aye aye, Ma'am" Singer said before storming out of the office.  
  
Mac shut the door after Singer left. She then walked back to the desk and addressed Taylor, who was sitting in Mac's chair. "Three things: One, try not to get on Singer's bad side. She can't hurt you, but she'll irritate the hell out of you. Two, Harm's ready to meet you. He's really excited. And three, when did you graduate from high school?"  
  
"Didn't I tell you that? I've been dancing at the School Of American Ballet since I was eight, so I went to the Professional Children's School. They let you work ahead, so last year I graduated early. Really early," Taylor explained.  
  
"That's great," Mac said. "So you're a dancer?"  
  
"Yeah. I still take classes at SAB, but mostly I work with the American Ballet Company. I would be in the company, but there's this whole age thing. It's a pain in the butt, really."  
  
"Well, we'll have to talk about that some more later, but right now you need to go meet your father," Mac smiled.  
  
Taylor bit her lip. She stood up and went to stand next to Mac. "Okay, let's go."  
  
"Are you sure you're ready?"  
  
"Yeah. I need to do this," Taylor replied. "Let's go."  
  
Mac and Taylor exited her office and walked down the hall to Harm's office. Mac once again knocked on the doorframe, and Harm beckoned them inside. He stood up from his chair, where he had been twiddling his thumbs nervously, and walked around the desk to meet his guests.  
  
"Harm," Mac said. "I'd like to introduce you to Taylor Jacobs, your daughter." 


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
"Hi," Harm said nervously. It was the only thing his mind could come up with.  
"Hi," Taylor replied, just as nervously. For a few seconds they just stared at each other.  
"So, Mac tells me we're related," Harm said.  
Taylor giggled. "Yeah, I guess we are."  
"Why don't I leave you two alone to talk?" Mac said.  
"No!" Harm and Taylor said in unison. They looked at each other and laughed nervously.  
Mac walked over to the door and closed it quietly behind her. She returned to the desk and sat on the edge of it between each of them. What was going on? Taylor hadn't been anywhere near this nervous the night before. She'd been to the point and frank about everything, and now she was shy and quiet. As for Harm, he looked as if he didn't have a word in his head that seemed even halfway competent.  
"What's going on?" Mac asked quietly.  
"What do you mean?" Taylor asked.  
"Well, last night, I couldn't have gotten you to stop talking if I'd wanted to. You weren't nervous at all about meeting me, so why is there so much tension right now?"  
"Well, it's just.oh, I don't know," Taylor seemed sort of lost. She sat down in one of the chairs next to Harm's desk.  
"I don't think that's the truth," Mac said. "What's the issue?"  
"It's just that, I've had a mother all my life. She was a really great woman. And then I met you, Mac, and I knew that even though you couldn't replace my mom, you'd be really great, too. You'd be like a second mother to me. But I've never had a father. I mean, I had a stepfather, but it isn't the same thing. A father is really important, and I never had one," Taylor's eyes began to tear up.  
Harm moved over from where he was standing and knelt down in front of Taylor. "I never really knew my father either. He was a pilot in Vietnam, and he was shot down when I was five. I never got the chance to know him. I don't want that to happen to you, too."  
Taylor reached out and clasped her arms around Harm's neck. She began to cry, and her tears dripped onto his uniform jacket. He didn't seem to care, though. Harm gazed up at Mac. She was staring right back at him, and they exchanged a quick smile. After a little while, Taylor calmed down and released Harm from the hug. He sat in the chair next to her.  
"So," Mac said. "What happens now?"  
A few days later, the adoption papers were signed, and Taylor became both biologically and officially Harm and Mac's daughter. For the time being, she moved in with Mac, merely for convenience. Harm's place really wasn't the greatest for privacy. Taylor decided to leave her studies at SAB and start training with the Washington Ballet. As for Harm and Mac, they still hadn't told any of their colleagues about Taylor.  
One night, after Taylor had gone to bed, Harm and Mac had their millionth discussion about telling their friends at JAG about their daughter. For necessity's sake, they would have to move in together. Taylor had been seeing a therapist to deal with her mother's death, and he had suggested that the whole adoption/new parent ordeal would be a lot less stressful on her if her parents lived together. They had already found an apartment close to JAG headquarters. Once they got their own places sold, they would be ready to move, and once they moved in together, they would no longer be able to hide their little secret from anyone, especially the Admiral.  
"I think we should have a party and introduce her. Kinda like the Admiral did with Francesca," Harm suggested.  
"I guess so," Mac replied, though with little confidence. "I just don't feel like explaining it to everybody. Can you imagine? 'Everyone, this is our fifteen year old daughter, Taylor. She was conceived through in-vitro fertilization because Harm's sperm had a good biography, and the doctors were too stupid to read the label on the egg jar. Would anyone care for some champagne?' It would be absolutely horrific."  
"I don't see what's so bad about that. It makes perfect sense to me," Harm said. "Oh, and by the way, the 'egg jar'? What's that about?"  
"Well, I'm not exactly savvy to the lingo of in-vitro fertilization, Harmon," Mac replied, poking him in the ribs. They had been sitting on opposite ends of Mac's couch watching some made for TV movie. Harm slid over to Mac's side of the couch.  
"You think that's funny, do you?" he asked.  
"Yeah, actually, squid, I do," Mac replied.  
"We'll see about that," Harm said. Without her being able to think, Harm grabbed Mac's legs and pulled them onto the couch so that she fell back. Straddling her, Harm pinned her legs beneath him and began to tickle her. She started laughing so hard that tears began streaming down her face.  
"Stop.please.oh.please.stop," Mac panted between bursts of laughter.  
"Are you sure you want me to stop, jarhead?" Harm laughed.  
Mac nodded her head with as much force as she could between laughs. Harm stopped tickling her. She regained her breath and quickly noticed that Harm was still straddling her body. Then she noticed that she didn't mind. Grabbing the front of his shirt, she pulled him down on top of her. Searching out his lips with hers, she pulled him into a breathtaking kiss. She parted her lips, allowing his tongue access to that delicious mouth of hers. Their tongues grappled for control. Mac sighed beneath Harm as his fingers began a tantalizing path from her cheek to her hip. As he began to unbutton her shirt, Mac gasped, "Not here. Taylor could hear."  
Standing up from the couch, Harm reached down and picked her up. He carried her to the bedroom where he kicked the door closed behind them.  
The next morning, Mac awoke to the smells of freshly brewed coffee, sizzling bacon and scrambled eggs. Turning over in bed, she saw Harm walk into the room carrying a tray of whatever it was that smelled so delicious.  
Kissing Mac gently on the lips, Harm said, "You said that men usually made you breakfast when you spent the night with them. I didn't want to be the exception."  
Mac smiled. Why hadn't they done this years before? Because of the stupid UCMJ. Why couldn't they continue doing it now? Because of the stupid UCMJ. Putting that out of her head for the time being, Mac leaned over and kissed Harm. It was a Saturday morning and she had one Navy commander all to herself. Well, except for the teenager in the room down the hall.  
"Is Taylor awake yet?" Mac asked.  
"Nope," Harm answered. "She's sleeping in."  
Mac began eating the breakfast that Harm had prepared. She was a little surprised to see the bacon, but she figured that he wasn't going to try to impose those particular views on her this morning.  
"Harm," Mac began.  
"Uh oh, sounds serious," Harm joked.  
"Well, it is kinda," Mac replied. "I think we should introduce Taylor next Saturday. We've put it off long enough. Anyway, I have a buyer for this place, and they're looking to move in soon, so we'll be moving in together pretty soon."  
"Are you sure about next Saturday? It just seems so soon," Harm said.  
"Harm, it's been three weeks already. We really can't put it off for much longer."  
"Okay, let's do it. Do you want to wake Taylor and tell her?"  
"Not just yet. I think I'd like to celebrate a little more with her daddy."  
Harm laughed, and they sank back down onto the bed. 


	5. Chapter Five

Taylor stared at her reflection in the mirror. This was the third outfit she had tried on this evening, and nothing was working. In less than an hour, she would meet Harm and Mac's friends and colleagues. Taylor was almost positive that she was more nervous than her parents were. As she began to untie her halter-top dress, a knock at the door made her jump.  
  
"Can I come in?" Mac asked.  
  
"You scared me," Taylor said, holding her hand over her heart.  
  
"Sorry," Mac said. She walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. Gazing at the state of the room, she saw all of the outfits that had apparently failed Taylor's appropriateness test for the night. "Nervous?"  
  
"A little," Taylor replied. She sat on the edge of the bed next to Mac. "It's just that I know how important tonight is for you and Harm, and I don't wanna mess it up. I mean, what if they don't like me?"  
  
Mac turned and hugged Taylor. "You won't mess this up, I promise. And, trust me, everyone will love you. I just have to figure out how to explain you, first."  
  
"I could do it, if you want," Taylor offered.  
  
"Thanks, but I'll figure it out," Mac replied. She turned and gave Taylor another quick hug. "Don't be nervous, okay?"  
  
"I'll work on it," Taylor replied with a smile.  
  
"Good," Mac said as she began to leave. "By the way, the dress you're wearing is perfect."  
  
Taylor glanced down at the dress and smiled. "Thanks, Mac."  
  
They had decided to have the party at Harm's apartment. Mac walked into his bedroom to find him in the middle of a pile of shirts and suits. As Taylor was fretting over her wardrobe, Harm was having similar troubles.   
  
"Problem?" Mac asked.  
  
"I don't know what to wear," Harm said.  
  
Mac began to giggle. "You know, I just had the same conversation with Taylor. And she's a girl."  
  
"Are you saying that guys can't have wardrobe issues?" Harm said.  
  
"I'm not saying anything," Mac said with her hands up in mock surrender. She walked past Harm to his closet where she grabbed the dress she had picked out for tonight. She began to take off her shirt when she heard a whistle behind her.  
  
"Harm," she said. "I'm kinda trying to get dressed here."  
  
Harm walked up and wrapped his arms around her waist. He began to kiss her neck.  
  
"Harm, the guests are gonna be here in an hour. We don't have time for this, and Taylor's right down the hall. She could hear us."  
  
"We'll be quick," Harm said. "And quiet."  
  
Turning around in his arms, Mac reached up and whispered in his ear, "I don't wanna be either." Satisfied with the shocked look on Harm's face, she said, "Now leave me alone so I can get dressed."  
  
Twenty minutes later, everyone was dressed and ready for anything. The caterers had already set up everything, so, until the guests arrived, Harm, Mac and Taylor had nothing to do. They looked like the picture perfect family, sitting in the living room with nothing to talk about.  
  
"So," Harm began, hoping that someone would say something.  
  
"Yeah," Taylor replied. She didn't know what to say either, but at least they were saying something.  
  
"So, Mac, have we figured out what we're gonna say to everyone tonight yet?" Harm asked.  
  
"Well," Mac began. "Actually...no."  
  
"Oh," Harm said. "Well, okay."  
  
Taylor had to laugh. "This isn't going very well, is it? The party hasn't even started yet, and the conversation already sucks."  
  
Harm and Mac laughed.  
  
"What did you tell everyone to get them over here?" Taylor asked.  
  
"Just that we were having a party," Mac answered.  
  
"Oh, okay," Taylor said. After thinking about it for a second, she said, "But wait, if you two are in the military, and you're not allowed to date each other, don't you think that everyone will be a little suspicious as to why you're throwing a party together?"  
  
Harm and Mac stared at each other.  
  
"You don't think that they'll think we're..." Harm said.  
  
"No," Mac said. "Or maybe...I don't know."  
  
"Um, I'm sure it'll be fine, though," Taylor attempted to make the situation better.  
  
"Yeah," Mac said halfheartedly.  
  
About twenty minutes later, everyone began to arrive. As usual, Bud and Harriet were the first there, followed shortly by the Admiral. Being the precise military people that they were, everyone arrived within minutes of each other. Taylor had been instructed to wait in Harm's bedroom until everyone arrived so that they could introduce her.  
  
While they were waiting for the festivities to begin, murmurs were going around the room. Did anyone know what this was about? Were the Colonel and Commander finally going to stop pretending that they weren't in love? Soon all of the guests had arrived, and Harm called for everyone's attention.   
  
"I guess you're all wondering why we organized this party. The reason is that...well...hey, Mac, a little help?" Harm said. Everything he'd thought he was going to say had floated out of his head.  
  
"Well," Mac began. "The thing is, about fifteen years ago, Harm and I were both pretty desperate for cash."  
  
The group laughed. They could all remember those days in their own lives.  
  
"Well, by chance, we both decided to participate in fertility studies. And somehow, the doctors mixed up an in-vitro fertilization patient's data with mine, so...Taylor?" Mac waited until Taylor emerged from the bedroom. She walked up and stood between her parents. "Everyone, this is our daughter, Taylor.   
  
The gasp that went around the room was audible. Did she really just say "our daughter?" As in Harm and Mac's daughter? No one knew what to say. They all sort of just stood there silently with their mouths hanging open.  
  
"Hi, everyone!" Taylor said, trying to get everyone over the shock.  
  
Finally, Harriet stepped forward out of the crowd. "Hi, Taylor. I'm Harriet. This is my husband, Bud."  
  
"Hi," Taylor said, shaking hands with both of them.  
  
Soon, everyone followed Harriet's example and introduced themselves to Taylor. Singer wasn't too happy about the situation after their little dispute at the JAG headquarters.  
  
Taylor was soon overwhelmed with names and faces. There was Harriet, and Bud, and Loren, and Jason, though he had said Tiner would be fine, and the Admiral, though he had said AJ would be fine, and Sturgis, and a few others who Taylor couldn't quite remember. Beyond that, there were all of their ranks to learn, and frankly, Taylor's mind wasn't really up to the challenge. Finally escaping from the crowd, she got a cup of punch and attempted to hide in the corner. She sighed when she saw the Admiral approach her.  
  
"Mind if I take a seat?" he asked.  
  
"Not at all," Taylor replied. The Admiral sat in the chair opposite her.  
  
"So, you're Harm and Mac's daughter," he said. It wasn't as much a question as a general statement.  
  
"Yeah," Taylor answered. This guy was definitely scary, even if he wasn't trying to be. Taylor could see why Harm and Mac were so concerned about his response to the news.  
  
"May I ask you a personal question?" he said.  
  
"Um, sure," Taylor replied.  
  
"Why are you living with the Commander and Colonel? Where are your parents?"  
  
"Dead," she replied. "My mother and step-father died in a car accident about four months ago. I'd been living with my aunt until I came here looking for my biological parents. When I found them, Harm and Mac were adamant that I live with them. So they adopted me, and now I live here."  
  
The Admiral was quiet for a second. "I see. Where exactly is here? Do you live with Harm or Mac?"  
  
"With Mac. But they found an apartment, so we're gonna move there and all live together."  
  
"Oh," the Admiral replied.  
  
"They're not gonna get in trouble are they?" Taylor asked, worriedly. "Not because of me! They didn't do anything wrong, did they?"  
  
"No, darlin', of course not. They didn't do anything wrong," Admiral Chegwidden said. He stood up from his chair. "Thanks for the chat."  
  
"You're welcome," Taylor said quietly. All of a sudden she felt very small. She could feel a lump in her stomach that was growing larger by the second. Harm and Mac were always talking about military protocol and how any hint of impropriety could get them both court-martialed. And after that little "chat" she'd had with the Admiral, they were sure to get in trouble. He had said that it would be fine and that they wouldn't get into trouble, but Taylor couldn't get herself to believe him. At that point all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and cry while her mother brushed her hair and told her that everything would be all right.   
  
Suddenly overcome with emotion, Taylor rushed out of the room and ran into Harm's bedroom. Throwing back the covers on his bed, she jumped into it and started to cry into the pillow. Seeing her run out of the room, Mac quickly followed her.  
  
"Taylor? Are you okay?" Mac asked. She was worried. Even though she had only known Taylor for four weeks, she knew that the girl was not one to easily cry.  
  
"No," came the tearful reply. "I miss my mom. It's not fair! Why did she have to die? It just isn't fair! She never did anything wrong. Why did she have to die?"  
  
Mac rushed to the bed and sat down, pulling Taylor into her arms. She'd always heard people talking about their children, and how it seemed impossible to love somebody that much and that quickly. But in the short time that Taylor had been in her life, she came to see that it was true. Seeing her like this was killing Mac, because she knew that there was nothing she could do. She was Taylor's biological mother, but beyond that, and the few weeks they had had together, the relationship was nothing compared to the one Taylor had had with her real mother. So as they sat on the bed, Taylor cried, and Mac brushed her hair slowly and told her that everything would be all right. 


	6. Chapter Six

Hi everybody! Thanks for the reviews. Usually I don't respond to reviews, but I'd like to address a point that et-spiritus-sancti brought up. The fifth chapter was written almost entirely from Taylor's point of view. Because her only knowledge of the military and the UCMJ is what Harm and Mac have mentioned offhand, she doesn't know very much of anything about the exact rules and regulations. Therefore, from her POV, Harm and Mac are doing something wrong. I hope that cleared some things up. And as for the Colonel Farrow thing, wasn't the issue more that he was Mac's CO than that he outranked her?   
  
Taylor awoke the next day at six in the morning. Although it was still rather dark outside, she could see that she wasn't in her own bedroom. She rubbed her eyes and realized that she was in Harm's bedroom, and that Mac was asleep next to her. Trying to recall why she was in Harm's bed, Taylor slowly remembered the details of the previous night's events.   
  
She had ruined everything.  
  
Last night had been an important night for her parents, and she had ruined it for them. First she had spilled everything to Admiral Chegwidden, and then she had had a complete nervous breakdown on Mac. As more of the details came back to her, Taylor became more and more depressed. This would never have happened if she had never gone looking for her real parents. She should have just stayed with her aunt.   
  
Getting out of the bed slowly, careful not to wake Mac, Taylor made up her mind. After quickly checking that both Harm and Mac were still asleep, she grabbed a pen and notepad and began writing. She left the note on the counter, grabbed the few things she had at Harm's apartment and went out the front door. With the twenty dollars she had in her pocket, she took a cab to Mac's apartment.  
  
An hour later, Harm woke up with a groan. He had spent the night on the couch, and his back hated him for it. He made some coffee for himself and Mac and took it to her in his bedroom.   
  
"Mac," he said gently. "Wake up."  
  
Mac pulled the covers over her head in protest. "No. Too early."  
  
"Wake up," Harm said. He pulled the covers back down so that he could see her face. "Here: coffee."  
  
Mac took the cup and began to sip it slowly. "Where's Taylor?" she asked, when she noticed that her daughter wasn't asleep next to her.  
  
"I'm not sure," Harm replied. She might be in the bathroom. She might have gone to the dance studio. She seems to do that a lot."  
  
Mac sat up a little straighter in bed. Though it was true that Taylor did head down to the studio a lot when she wasn't feeling great, after the previous night's events, Taylor wouldn't have left without saying anything. "Harm, go check if she's in the apartment. I'll call her cell phone."  
  
Mac called Taylor, but all she heard was, "Hey! This is Taylor. Leave me a message, and I might just call you. Hee-hee!"  
  
Deciding against leaving a message, Mac hung up and went into the kitchen to see if Taylor had perhaps just been wandering around the apartment.   
  
Harm was standing at the counter reading a letter. "Mac," he said.  
  
"What?" Mac answered. She walked over and tried to read the note over Harm's shoulder.  
  
"She left. She went home," Harm said, almost in shock.  
  
"What do you mean 'home'?" Mac asked. "Home as in my apartment?"  
  
"No, home as in home. She went back to New York."   
  
Mac grabbed the letter and began to read.   
  
  
  
Dear Harm and Mac,  
  
I'm so sorry for what happened last night. Despite everything that you've done for me, for which I am eternally grateful, I can't stay here. I realize that my life, my family, my entire existence is in New York. You've been absolutely amazing, and knowing that I have parents as wonderful as you makes me unbelievably blessed, but it doesn't change the fact that this has strained all of our lives. Had I stayed, you would have risked your careers for my happiness, and I wouldn't have been able to live with that. Please don't try to come after me. If I see you again, I might not have the strength to say no to coming back with you.   
  
I love you more than you can imagine.   
  
  
  
~Taylor Elizabeth Jacobs~  
  
Mac finished reading the note, and tears began to stream down her face. Harm knelt down beside her and wrapped his arms around her.   
  
"We have to go after her, Harm," she said through the tears.  
  
"You know we can't do that, Mac. We have to respect her wishes."  
  
"But, she's our daughter, Harm. She's our baby. We can't just let her run away."  
  
Mac began to sob again, and Harm just held her.  
  
I realize that this chapter is pathetically short, but it's really the best place to leave it before the next chapter, which will hopefully be up soon. Please R & R! Thanks! 


	7. Chapter Seven

Okay, so I've decided to start responding to reviews. I figure that if you have something to say, I probably have something to say back.  
  
ccabello- Thanks! I hope that this is soon enough for you. I seem to be terrible at posting chapters quickly, but I never have enough time to write, and when I do, I have writer's block. It's a vicious cycle. :)  
  
queenofdiamonds1- While I am a tiny bit sad that you think so, I do have to agree. There wasn't really much going on the last chapter, was there? Don't worry, there's a lot more that happens in this chapter. I hope you enjoy this one a little more.  
  
Sancti- Sorry, I didn't feel like typing out the whole thing! You really thought this was realistic? I mean, obviously she felt really guilty about the whole party thing, who wouldn't? But I kinda thought that the note was way too sappy and gushy. I actually cringed after I wrote and reread it. It's grown on me, though. And, anyway, it was kinda sweet, and everyone needs a little fluff every once in a while, right? Well, I hope this chapter is just as realistic, if not a little less sappy.  
  
EyeCandy- you seem like a very hyperactive person. Or maybe it's just the capital letters! LOL. I'm glad that you liked the chapter and that it took you by surprise. Frankly, it took me by surprise, too. I didn't know Taylor was gonna run away, either. She just sorta did. I hate when characters take initiative without my permission!  
  
DD2- I appreciate your excitement! I hope they go get her, too, but I guess we'll both have to wait and see what they do, won't we?  
  
RoughIslandSurprise- At this point, I have exactly the same insight as you do about whether or not they're going to go after her. I have no idea. I hope they do, but that's up to them to decide.   
  
And finally, harmsgirl- I appreciate the fact that you've taken the time to read and review my little story. I also appreciate the fact that you're trying to help the story (and for my sanity's sake, I'm going to assume you were offering help, not just criticism) by informing me of the mistakes I have made concerning the UCMJ and the chasing after of missing persons. So, for your sake, I've written the following disclaimer.  
  
Warning: This story is set in an alternate universe. If you couldn't tell that already, then, well, hmmm. In this alternate universe, the UCMJ prohibits a certain Navy Commander and a certain Marine Lieutenant Colonel working in the same office from having any sort of relationship beyond that of a nearly decade-long friendship defined by sexual tension and innuendo. Also in this universe, parents are not required to chase after their runaway, adopted, biological children.   
  
Is that better?  
  
And now, on with the show. Please read and review.  
  
Taylor sat in the back of the cab. She stared silently out of the window and watched the city streets zoom by in a fuzzy blur. The fact that her eyes were filled with tears didn't help her vision much, either. The usually quick journey to Mac's apartment seemed to last forever. Taylor tried to memorize every detail of the trip. Even though she hoped that she'd never see the place again, she realized that she would miss it more than she had thought. It wasn't New York, and, therefore, it wasn't her real home, but D.C. had been her temporary home for the previous four weeks and, in that short time, had filled Taylor's mind with memories. Soon the cab driver stopped outside of Mac's apartment building.   
  
Handing him a few stray bills, Taylor murmured, "Keep the change." She got out of the cab and walked up the steps to enter the building. In the elevator ride up to Mac's apartment, she made a quick mental list of everything she had to do before she left. Hopefully she could get it all done before Harm and Mac woke up and realized that she had left.  
  
Using her key, Taylor entered the apartment that had been her home for the past four weeks. She took off her jacket and dumped it on the couch. She started to walk to her room, but then turned back and stared at the jacket. She thought about a conversation she and Mac had had a few days before.  
  
"Do you ever hang things up?" Mac asked half-seriously, half-amusedly.   
  
"Well, I try not to. It's just such a waste of energy." Taylor replied, looking up from the book she was reading.  
  
"It's a waste of energy to take off your jacket in your bedroom, put it on a hanger and put it in the closet?" Mac asked, interested in where the conversation would lead.  
  
"Of course it's a waste. Think about it. I wear that jacket almost everyday. If I put it in my closet every night, then I would have to take it out of my closet every morning. It's a waste of time and energy. By leaving it on the couch, I'm really conserving my finite energy resources."  
  
Mac stared at Taylor incredulously. "Right," she replied, and let the subject drop, and let the jacket sit on the couch.  
  
Taylor, shaking herself out of the memory, walked back, picked up the jacket and hung it in her closet.  
  
After packing up all of her clothes and other stuff, Taylor took one last look around the room. It looked exactly the way it had when she first stayed in it. That was the night that she met her mother, and the night that she found out about Chloe. This room was Chloe's again. Taylor hadn't bothered painting, or changing anything else in the room, because she, Mac and Harm would be moving to another apartment soon. Now that she looked around with all of her stuff removed, Taylor felt as though she had never been there, as though she hadn't existed in Harm and Mac's lives. And in that instant, she envied Chloe. Chloe's existence didn't mess up anyone's life. Again, a memory surfaced in Taylor's mind, this one not as pleasant.  
  
"Chloe, this is Taylor," Mac said. "Taylor, this is Chloe."  
  
The two girls shook hands uncomfortably. Chloe gave Taylor a look that Taylor could only equate to the "Manhattan once over."   
  
"When you said you had a surprise, you weren't kidding, were you?" Chloe asked Mac.  
  
"Well, this all came as a pretty big shock to us, too, kiddo," Mac replied. "Why don't I leave you two alone to get to know each other?"  
  
"Sure," the girls responded in unison, although neither was entirely pleased by the idea.  
  
"I'll be in the living room, if you need anything," Mac said as she slowly closed the door behind her.  
  
"So, you took over my room," Chloe said, with a less than well-hidden hint of disdain in her voice.  
  
"Yeah, sorry about that. Mac kinda just offered it," Taylor replied, not knowing what else to say. "Um, so, Mac said that you're a little younger than I am. How old are you?"  
  
"Fourteen and a half. And you are?"  
  
"Sixteen."  
  
"Oh. Sweet sixteen and never been kissed?" Chloe asked with a smirk.  
  
Taylor tried unsuccessfully to hold in a giggle; she covered it up with an apparent coughing fit. "Not quite," she responded.  
  
"Right," Chloe replied. "So, what do you wanna do?"  
  
"Don't know. Whatever you wanna do, I guess."  
  
"Okay. I have math homework to do," Chloe told Taylor as she removed a rather large textbook from her backpack, which had been lying on the floor.  
  
"Right, homework. I can't say I miss that," Taylor said somewhat nostalgically. She did sort of miss having the high school experiences everyone else did.  
  
"What do you mean, you don't miss homework?" Chloe inquired.  
  
"Um, I graduated from high school last year. So, no homework," Taylor explained.   
  
"Oh," and a resentful glare were Taylor's only responses.  
  
The next day, while Chloe was in the shower, Taylor and Mac sat in the kitchen, finishing their breakfasts.  
  
"I think Chloe hates me," Taylor said.  
  
"I highly doubt that," Mac replied.  
  
"I don't. She probably thinks that I'm trying to replace her in your life."  
  
"Well, I guess she's wrong, then, isn't she?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Taylor thought back to the rest of Chloe's brief stay. The two girls never shared more than a monosyllabic conversation. Taylor knew that Chloe hated her, and thinking back, she realized that she hated Chloe, too.  
  
Satisfied that she had gathered all of her things, Taylor picked up her bags and dumped them at the front door. She took the apartment key out of her purse and left it on the kitchen counter. She wouldn't need it any longer. Taking one final sweeping glance over the apartment, Taylor stepped out and closed the door, leaving behind Harm, Mac and any life that might have been. 


	8. Chapter Eight

eyecandy- painful how? My arms hurt for a little while after I typed the chappy, but I don't think that's what you're talking about! By the way, I didn't say that hyperactive was a bad thing, but enthusiastic is definitely a good thing.  
  
Sancti- thanks! I liked the flashbacks, too. I didn't even expect to have flashbacks, but I did, and they worked, so I kept them. And you're right, it is my universe, and I'll do with the characters whatever I please. Wait, do I sound like a spoiled five year old? Oh, well.  
  
DD2- thanks! I'll try to keep her from leaving just for you.  
  
CapriceAnn- I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I can't wait for more of it either! I guess I should probably just write some more, then. LOL. As for going after her, I guess we'll both have to wait and see about that, won't we?  
  
Pacing back and forth across Harm's apartment, Mac couldn't get herself to calm down. She hated being like this; she felt out of control, as though her emotions overtook her both mentally and physically. The last time she had been like this was when she and Harm had gotten shot down in Sarah, and those hunters had tried to kill them. The feeling that had overtaken her when she had killed that man apparently evoked the same emotions as losing a child. It seemed that the only thing she could do to keep from exploding was to pace, so she continued her assault on Harm's carpet.  
  
Harm didn't know what to do with himself, either. He felt just as anxious and worried as Mac did, but his emotions kept themselves well hidden in the pit of his stomach. He stared silently at Mac. He knew that he should try to comfort her, but what could he possibly do to ameliorate the situation? Over the course of a month, Mac had discovered that she was a mother and had fallen in love with her little girl. Harm felt the same way, of course, but somehow it had struck Mac harder than it had hit him. He hadn't quite gotten the same connection to Taylor, even though he had tried. Taylor had known what the relationship between mother and daughter should be, but, as she had never had a real father, she always kept her distance from Harm. Thinking about it now that she was gone, Harm hurt even more. He stood up and wrapped his arms around Mac from behind.  
  
"Sit," he said. It was more a request than an order. He sat down on the couch and gently tugged on Mac's hand, pulling her down so that she was sitting on his lap.  
  
"How are we supposed to get over this, Harm?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know," he replied solemnly. "I don't think we are supposed to get over it."  
  
"So we're just going to go on like this? Pretending to be okay when a part of us just packed up and moved back to New York?"  
  
"I think that we just have to take this one day at a time. We'll get through this, Mac, I promise," Harm said, placing a light kiss on top of Mac's head.  
  
Mac, who had settled with her back resting against Harm's chest, turned so that she was facing him. "I think it would have been easier if she was dead."  
  
"What?"  
  
"If she was dead, there would be no possible way to get her back; but she's not dead, and there is a way to get her back, we just can't do it," Mac said, trying desperately to fight back the tears that had filled her eyes.  
  
"You're probably right," Harm replied. "That would have been easier."  
  
Harm tightened his arms around Mac. Thoughts of his daughter enveloped his mind, and, in that instant, he knew that he had to get back his little girl.  
  
Taylor entered Dulles International Airport at 9:30 that morning. With the last three hundred dollars in her checking account, she bought a plane ticket to New York City. Much to her dismay, the flight didn't leave until 12:30 in the afternoon, so she had three hours to kill before she could get out of the city.   
  
A voice crackled over the intercom, announcing a flight delay. Taylor groaned in frustration. She'd only been in the airport for twenty minutes, and she was already restless. She wouldn't be completely calm until she was on that plane, and it was on its way to New York. Taylor grabbed her bags and made sure that they were safe before she began a walking tour of the airport. She needed to get rid of the nervous energy that was engulfing her body. She passed a Starbucks and bought a cappuccino. Not knowing where to go or what to do, she just wandered down the long corridor of the airport, sipping her coffee. When she'd met Mac such a short time before, Taylor realized where she'd gotten her ability to tell time without a watch, so as she walked along, her brain counted down the seconds until she could get out of Washington.  
  
Harm knew that he had to get Taylor back, and he told Mac just that. "We can't let her go, Mac. It just isn't possible. We have to get her back."  
  
"I thought that you were the one who was supposed to be all about letting her go," Mac replied.  
  
"I know, but my heart isn't agreeing with my brain, here. We can't just sit back and let her leave."  
  
"How do you expect to find her?" Mac said.   
  
"If she's going back to New York, she's probably going to have to get a flight. From her note, she sounded like she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, so she's probably gotten a flight for today already. If we go now, we can probably still catch her at the airport," Harm replied.  
  
"What if she was serious, Harm?" Mac asked. "I mean, of course she was serious, but what if we go after her and she ends up hating us for it?"  
  
"At this point, Mac, that's a chance we have to take. There are a million what-ifs; we can't figure out all of them."  
  
"You're right," Mac said. "If Taylor does go back to New York before we get to her, she's going to go back to her aunt's. We should probably call her and tell her that Taylor might be coming back."  
  
"Right. Even if she doesn't go back, her aunt would still want to now that she left."  
  
As Harm went in search of the phone number, Mac got ready to leave. After Harm called Taylor's aunt, they were on their way to the airport.  
  
Thirty minutes later, Taylor was still wandering around the airport. She had bought the latest issue of Cosmo, but she couldn't get herself to concentrate on it for more than a few minutes. She continued her walk through the airport instead. As she passed a coffee shop, she glanced in the store window and saw a man walking behind her. She didn't pay much attention to him and kept walking.   
  
Suddenly, a little girl came running along and ran smack into Taylor. Taylor spun around from the force of the bump.  
  
"Sorry," the little girl said.  
  
"That's okay," Taylor replied. She got a shy smile from the girl, who waved good-bye and continued running, apparently chasing after her mother.  
  
Taylor watched the girl run towards her mother. When she finally caught up to the woman, her mother smiled, picked her up and hugged her tightly, tickling her and causing the little girl to giggle.Taylor smiled. She remembered being that young and being with her mother. The memory made a knot in the pit of her stomach, which quickly grew when she noticed the same man who had been walking behind her standing just a few feet away. She hadn't noticed him until she'd turned around. He seemed to be staring at her intently. Shaking it off as paranoia, Taylor turned and walked away, still counting down the two hours left until her plane took off.  
  
Harm and Mac arrived at the airport at 10:30. They ran from gate to gate, trying to find Taylor. They finally found someone who had seen Taylor earlier in the morning. The blonde, unmistakably Southern woman had sold Taylor her ticket to New York.  
  
"Has her flight left yet?" Mac asked frantically.  
  
"No, ma'am, it isn't due to leave until 12:30," the woman replied.  
  
Harm and Mac let out a simultaneous sigh. They hadn't quite lost her yet. At least she was still in the city.  
  
Harm turned his attention back to the airport employee. "Do you remember where she went?"  
  
"Well, her flight was to New York, sir, but it hasn't left yet," was the confused reply.  
  
Harm cringed internally. Wow. "I meant, after she bought her ticket, which direction did she go? Did she go wait for take off, or did she go that way?" Harm said patiently, pointing towards the main section of the airport.  
  
"Oh, I get it. She went that way," the woman said, pointing in the same direction as Harm.  
  
"Thank you," Mac said, as they turned to leave.  
  
"You probably won't find her, though," the woman called after them.  
  
Harm and Mac turned around slowly and stepped back to the desk. "Why's that?" Harm asked.  
  
"Well, she left."  
  
"Excuse me?" Mac said.  
  
"I just remembered," the woman said. "A little while ago, maybe twenty minutes, I saw her coming back this way. I figured she'd just gotten bored walking around the airport. And then this man came up. She seemed like she knew him kinda, and he said something to her quietly. I was too far away to hear it. Then he took her by the arm, and they walked out. She didn't seem too happy about it, but she went along with him, anyway. I just kinda assumed that she was a runaway or something, and that she didn't wanna go back home. Why? Is something wrong?"  
  
"Harm," Mac said, her knees beginning to buckle under her. "She's been kidnapped."  
  
A/N: Wow, I never meant for this story to end up as angsty as it's become. I guess we'll have to try and un-angst it in the next chappy. Um, yeah, so I've never been to Dulles International, and I have no idea how much a ticket from D.C. to NYC would cost, so let's just pretend, shall we? Please read and review. Thanks. 


	9. Chapter Nine

A/N: I'm not even going to bother making excuses about the seriously lengthy time between posts. Sorry.  
  
Hermiine- you'll have to wait and see about the big happy family, but as for the update soon, we already know that that didn't happen. :)  
  
RoughIslandSunrise- hmm...I take it you don't like cliffhangers. Actually I don't like reading, or watching them, but oh aren't they fun to write?  
  
Sancti- thanks for the support. I love that you're actually trying to figure this out. It's cute. Yeah, I never really liked Palmer, so we'll have to see how that turns out. By the way, I hope this chapter is long enough for you. And I can't wait to see some more of your stuff, young lady! ;)  
  
CapriceAnn- yeah, she probably could have gotten it for less, but 300 seemed like a good number, no? As for the Palmer thing, you're right. There has been an abundance of him lately.  
  
Mikejo- thanks. I hope that you will stick around to see how much more AU-y it can get.  
  
DD2- your reviews always make me happy. You really do love those exclamation points, don't you?  
  
Starryeyes10- I always aim to please. Well, most of the time, anyway.  
  
Eyecandy- please don't die. I would lose a valued reader if you did. By the way, I am proud. You've certainly calmed down. Did you have to cut back on sugar or coffee?  
  
"Ma'am? I'm Detective Jack Turner; I've been assigned to your daughter's case. Could you tell me the last time you saw her?" Mac gave the detective a hate-filled stare. After she and Harm found out that Taylor was kidnapped, they called the police immediately. They'd gone back to Harm's place, where the cops had practically taken over. They searched the apartment for any clue as to the identity of Taylor's kidnapper, or even for a reason for the abduction. They found nothing helpful.  
  
"Last night. 2200. She was asleep. Not that the information is relevant, since SHE WAS KIDNAPPED AT THE AIRPORT THIS MORNING!" Mac fumed. The past hour with the police had irritated her to the point of fury, and she was not in the mood to deal with any more of the imbeciles.  
  
"I realize, ma'am, but we are just trying to get all of the facts," Turner stated patiently, as though he were speaking to a child.  
  
"Don't patronize me, detective. I'm a lawyer, I know what you're doing," Mac returned sharply.  
  
"Mac," Harm said, placing a reassuring hand on Mac's shoulder. "Let's play nice."  
  
"There's a difference between playing nice and playing with idiots, Harm," Mac replied, shrugging his hand off her shoulder. She noticed the look of hurt on the detective's face and sighed softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I realize that you're trying to do your job. I'm just a little worked up."  
  
"That's all right, ma'am. If we could just talk about the kidnapping?" Turner said. Mac nodded towards the couch, and Turner and Harm followed her. They all sat before Harm and Mac began retelling the story. They recounted the previous twenty-four hours' events, beginning with Taylor's breakdown at the party, the note she'd left, her plane ticket and, finally, what the woman at the airport had told them.  
  
"Now, you're sure she's been kidnapped? She didn't catch a plane to New York?" Turner asked.  
  
"No," Harm replied. "Her plane hadn't left when we got there, and there were no earlier flights."  
  
"Okay. Thanks for your cooperation. We'll do everything we can, and I'll call you personally if we get any leads," Turner pulled a card out of his wallet. After scribbling something on the back, he handed it to Mac. "That's my card. I've put my home number on the back; if you need anything, please call me."  
  
Mac accepted the card and murmured a small "thanks" before Turner left.  
  
"Tense much?" Harm asked as he gently massaged Mac's shoulders.  
  
"Yeah," Mac sighed. "Can we go somewhere? I don't think I can just sit around while Taylor's out there."  
  
"Sure," Harm said, getting up from the couch. As Mac went to get their coats, Harm found one of the policemen, a man he remembered to be Turner's partner. He informed the detective that he and Mac were leaving and told him they'd be back. Harm trusted that he could leave the cops alone in his apartment, for a little while at least.  
  
"Are you ready?" he asked Mac, who stood by the door impatiently.  
  
"Yeah, let's go," she replied.  
  
They left the apartment and just started driving. Neither partner had any idea what they wanted to do, so, half an hour of wandering later, they arrived outside a little ice cream parlor.  
  
"How about a sugar cone?" Harm suggested.  
  
"It's a little cold for ice-cream, Harm," Mac replied. She pulled her jacket tighter around her as a shiver running through her further proved her point.  
  
"That's true," Harm said, "but I once read somewhere that on a really hot summer's day, you're supposed to drink hot coffee or tea. That way your body temperature increases, and the weather doesn't seem as bad. Maybe the reverse works on cold days."  
  
Mac looked at Harm and smiled slightly, the first hint at a happy face in at least twenty-four hours. "Sure, Harm, let's go get some ice-cream. Maybe we'll discover some kind of scientific miracle."  
  
They walked into the parlor. The door made a tinkling sound as they pushed it open. Mac looked up and watched the tiny chime hanging on top of the door.   
  
"When I was little, my mother used to tell me that whenever you heard chimes, and you couldn't see where they were coming from, it meant that there were angels watching over you," Mac said.  
  
"So, are there angels watching over us?" Harm asked.  
  
"I don't know, but I hope that wherever Taylor is, someone up there is watching over her," she replied, pointing to the ceiling.  
  
"I hope so, too."  
  
After they ordered, they took their ice-cream to a booth in the corner of the parlor.  
  
"Now that I have you alone," Harm began, "we should talk."  
  
"About?"  
  
"Us. Where this thing between us is going," Harm answered, as he took a lick of his ice-cream cone.  
  
"Where is this going?" Mac asked. "We've known each other for eight years, we know more about each other than we care to admit, we fight like an old married couple, and," she lowered her voice to a husky whisper, "we make love like newlyweds."  
  
"Well, well, Colonel, I'd never expect such truth from a woman like you," Harm teased.  
  
"A woman like me? And what does that mean, exactly, Commander?" Mac bantered playfully.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Harm said, pretending to be fascinated by his ice-cream. That is until Mac hit the bottom of the cone, and Harm got a nose-full of rocky road.   
  
"Hey now," he protested, wiping the sticky substance off his face, "let's play nice."  
  
Harm's words caused Mac to flashback to a little earlier in the day, when he had said the same thing. "We shouldn't be having this much fun right now," Mac said. "Not when Taylor's out there. She could be hurt and we can't help her. We shouldn't be making stupid jokes."  
  
Harm slid out of his side of the booth and sat down next to Mac. He hugged her gently and whispered, "It's okay, Mac. You're going to make yourself sick with worry. I know that it seems bad that we're having fun while Taylor's not here, but we'll get her back, I promise you that. We'll get her back safely."  
  
"How do you know that?" Mac asked, wiping away a hot tear.  
  
"It's a squid thing," Harm joked.  
  
"Funny, flyboy," Mac said as she poked him in the ribs. "But, as for what you said earlier, where is this going?"  
  
"I guess this is where I give my little speech. Now, in forewarning, I've never been good at this little speech, so bear with me. I love you, Mac. I think I've loved you since I saw you in the rose garden. I can't really be sure, though, because I did think that you were Diane at the time," he held up a hand to silence Mac's inevitable protest. "Wait. I have to say this now, because I don't think I'll be able to do it all again. I love you, and I hope you love me, too. I want us to be together; forever would be preferable. If that means marriage and kids, great. If not, we'll always have each other and we'll always have Taylor. You're my best friend, and I want that to stay the same. So, um, yeah."  
  
"That was, possibly, the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my life, and you end it with 'so, um, yeah?'"   
  
"Yeah," Harm replied.  
  
"Just making sure," Mac said. "Now, for my even littler speech. I love you, too. I want everything you just said. Forever with you would be good, on one condition."  
  
"And what's that?" Harm asked curiously.  
  
"No more Harm's Meatless Meatloaf?" Mac laughed.  
  
"Fine," Harm said with a pout. He couldn't keep up the act for long, however, and quickly burst into laughter. After he recovered, he looked and Mac and said, "I love you."  
  
"Love you, too" she replied, before leaning in for a kiss.  
  
The kiss ended all too quickly when Mac's cell phone began to ring. She and Harm quickly broke away as Mac snatched up the phone and breathily said, "Hello?" into the phone. A few seconds later, she hung up and practically pushed Harm out of the booth.  
  
"Who was it?" Harm asked, although he hoped he already knew the answer.  
  
"Turner," Mac replied as they walked hurriedly out of the ice-cream parlor. "They found her."  
  
The drive back to Harm's apartment was the longest twenty minutes of their lives. Harm sped like a demon, ignoring almost every stop sign and running more red lights than he'd done in his entire life. Luckily for them, there were no cops in sight. They arrived at Harm's apartment ran inside. They couldn't see Taylor; they were faced by a sea of police officers.  
  
Finally, three of the officers moved, and Mac spotted Taylor sitting on the couch. Mac ran over and threw her arms around her daughter, pulling her into a fierce hug. "Oh, sweetie, you're okay. You're okay."  
  
"Yeah," Taylor replied. "I'm fine."  
  
Mac released her from the hug and Harm leaned down to hug Taylor, too. "We were so worried about you," he said, tears streaming down his face matched those on Mac's.  
  
"What happened?" Mac asked. "Who took you?"  
  
"I'm so lost," Taylor replied. "Could someone explain? You got my note, didn't you? That I was going back to New York?"  
  
Slightly confused, Harm and Mac glanced at each other and nodded.  
  
"Then why does everyone keep asking me who took me? I went to the airport, like I said in my note," Taylor said.  
  
"Taylor, honey, we went to the airport to persuade you not to leave. When we got there, one of the employees told us that some man had taken you. We thought you had been kidnapped. What happened?" Mac asked.  
  
Taylor felt a flood of emotions. She was angry that they had ignored her requests, but at the same time glad that her parents cared about her enough not to simply let her go. She was also overcome by the urge to laugh. The entire situation had been blown far out of proportion.  
  
Turner stepped into the circle of cops surrounding Taylor. "If you could tell us what happened?"  
  
"I got to the airport and bought my ticket. I was ready to go back to New York. I didn't want to be in this city anymore; I was getting really anxious, so I started wandering around the airport. I guess it's kinda funny that you thought I was kidnapped, because there was this guy that I thought was following me. But he didn't abduct me. The person that woman saw me with was Luke Carson," Taylor told her audience.  
  
Confusion flashed across Mac's face. "Luke Carson? Isn't he one of your ballet teachers?"  
  
"Yeah, he is. Before I left for the airport, I called him and told him that I was leaving. He came to the airport and told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was being an idiot and that running back to New York wouldn't make losing my mom any easier. He made it pretty clear that all I would be doing is turning my back on you guys, and that that would make all of our lives hell. Once I realized that he was right, I asked him to bring me back here. So, no kidnapping. I'm sorry I made you guys so worried."  
  
Harm and Mac each gave a sigh of relief. Taylor was safe; she'd been fine the whole time. Turner nodded his head to the rest of the cops, who filed out of the apartment grumbling about a wasted day.  
  
Taylor smiled apologetically. "Sorry," she whispered to Turner.  
  
"We're all just glad that you're safe," he replied with a smile. "But try not to make this a habit, okay?"  
  
"Right," Taylor said.  
  
"I guess I'll leave you alone then," Turner said as he began to make his way toward the door.  
  
"Thank you," Mac called out to him. "For everything."  
  
"You're welcome," Turner smiled. He walked out of the apartment, closing the door softly behind him.  
  
Mac hugged Taylor gently. "I'm so glad you're okay. And that you're back."  
  
"Me, too," Harm said taking Taylor's hand in his.  
  
"Me, three," Taylor laughed. 


	10. Chapter Ten: Epilogue

One Year Later:  
  
"Mom, have you seen my Gaynor Mindens?" Taylor screamed through the house in search of her pointe shoes.   
  
"Tay, you have to be at the studio in thirty-seven minutes. We don't have time for this," Mac yelled back to her daughter. "But, since you're looking, try under your bed. There seems to be an accumulation of shoes under it."  
  
A few seconds later, Taylor yelled back, "Thanks, Mom. Found 'em."  
  
The MacKenzie-Rabb household was not one that functioned well early in the morning. Mac held it together well, though. After she and Harm had gotten married, they'd both decided that it would make the most sense for her to leave JAG so that she could be at home more often. She had found a job with a small private law firm soon after, and was finding the abundance of free time much to her liking. She had time to be a mother and a woman. Occasionally she even managed to find time for a manicure.  
  
Only minutes later another shout from upstairs interrupted Mac's thoughts. "Mac, where's my uniform? I thought I left it in the closet."  
  
"You did, Harm. The closet in the guest room," Mac replied.  
  
"Oh. Thanks."  
  
Ten minutes later, Mac finished making breakfast and sat at the table sipping a cup of orange juice and reading the newspaper. Not long after, Harm and Taylor plopped down next to her. They shared expressions of morning grumpiness.   
  
"Are you ready to go?" Mac asked Taylor, who had just finished breakfast and was sitting with one elbow resting on the table, her head on her hand. She was trying rather unsuccessfully to keep her eyelids from closing.  
  
"Uh-huh," she murmured. Mac laughed as she looked over at Harm, who was sitting in almost exactly the same pose as his daughter.   
  
"You two," Mac laughed. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you."  
  
"You know you love us," Harm said as he stretched his arms behind him. As he did, he noticed the time on the kitchen clock. "Ugh. I've gotta go. I'm meeting a client at 0830." Harm got up and placed a kiss on Taylor's forehead, and another on Mac's lips. "Goodbye, ladies."  
  
"Bye, daddy," Taylor smiled. Turning to Mac, she said, "Can you pick me up from ballet tonight? And can you give Ally a ride home?"  
  
"Sure. I might be a little late, though. I have to pick up your tutu from the alteration place. They called to say they'd...Oh my Lord." Mac said suddenly.  
  
"What?" Taylor asked.  
  
"I've turned into one of those ballet moms, haven't I?"  
  
"Yeah, but don't worry. You'll get used to it." Taylor laughed out loud.   
  
A/N: Et cela est tout qu'elle a ecrit. I realize that this was a really short chapter, (and ended kinda strangely) but aren't epilogues supposed to be short? Anyway, I just want to thank everyone for his/her reviews and support. I really enjoyed writing this story, and all of your input made it that much more enjoyable. I'm a little sad to be finishing this story, but I know that I'll be whipping up something new soon. Thanks again! 


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